There's something in the air. There are small and (dare we say) consistent signs that that the economic crisis has begun to level off. Many companies, while still implementing cost-cutting measures, are beginning to plan for growth. Phillip Lay, of TCG Advisors, writes in Under the Buzz: "Executive teams are ... more

As of June 13, Facebook has made it possible for users to secure a URL for both their profiles and any Facebook Pages they administer. Why this matters: Facebook is super-juicy SEO-wise. It's rich with content, oft-accessed, and constantly being updated. Securing a vanity URL with your name (for your ... more

"When your visitor arrives at your site," says Pete Caputa in a post at HubSpot, "they're most likely looking to solve a problem. In order to grab their attention and inspire them to share their contact information before they leave your website (and probably never come back), your … offers ... more

In a post at the Marketing Minute, blogger Drew McLellan admits he gets some rather strange mail. "But I have to say," he notes, "chocolate-covered grasshoppers might just top the list." The unusual package arrived from Grasshopper.com, which provides integrated telephone services, and McLellan praises the company for a well-executed ... more

Sometimes doing a little more for your email subscribers can make a huge difference. Tafford Uniforms of North Wales, Pa., faced a challenge to engage email subscribers because of two common but seemingly incongruent realities. more

What's the definition of a great website? What's the secret to better business lead generation? And what's the first step to building a site that delivers the kind of results you need—when you want them? more

Closing an IT sale is a complex process. But in most cases there is usually one pivotal sales presentation that can firmly seal the deal. Darrin Mourer, in a post on the Sales Engineer blog, offers recommendations to help you strengthen and prioritize the key components of your presentation. The ... more

Chad White of the Retail Email blog was impressed when he recently received an email from Lands' End with this subject line: Free Shipping + 20-50% off summer! Swim, shorts, polos and more. "I really liked this checklist approach to listing departments," he explains. "It feels less like it's pressing ... more

Here are 10 essentials of software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution marketing. more

There are five keys to making a relevance-centered approach a reality in your direct digital marketing programs(such as email, websites, mobile, and so on). more

As marketers, we are all looking to reach "nirvana": targeting the right person with the right message at the right time. It's the clear path to driving conversion rates that exceed expectations. The days of blasting promotion messages to all are dead and gone. The conversation has changed. We must put ... more

Squabbling or lack of coordination between sales and marketing teams can lead to longer sales cycles and increased costs—or it can scuttle deals. With so much at risk, why can't these two groups just get along? They can, says Rebekah Donaldson in a post on the Red On Marketing blog. ... more

Mailer Alert: A new Yahoo Mail feature—the "contacts button"—should make whitelisting even more important for email marketers. "You get a lot of emails, some good (from friends, family, even favorite interests that you've added to your Address Book), and a lot of not-so-important emails (special offers, newsletters, emails you rarely ... more

Right in time for the much-anticipated iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update debut on June 17, AdMob has introduced a slew of ad units that will help enterprising advertisers make the most of mobile marketing. Among the cool features to check out:  Mobile social networking, which lets users access your ... more

"Value, desire, and price rule our lives as salespeople," says Mike Sigers in a recent post at the Simplenomics blog. When a prospect considers a purchase, Sigers explains, the product's value is determined by their desire. For all of us, he says, "If you desire something … it becomes valuable ... more

Different people have had different reactions to our hobbled economy. Some are heartsick over tough choices made to keep a company solvent; others might thrill to the thought of newly identified opportunities; most of us are probably experiencing a mix of concern and optimism. Whatever your perspective, it's likely you've ... more

"It's not all doom and gloom in the U.S. economy," Deb Riechmann says in a recent AP article. "Some products are bucking the recession and flying off store shelves." Folks still have to live—and indulge a little—even in a recession. That's the message of this report, which gives an overview ... more

In cooperation with Ball State University and the Email Marketers Club, ExactTarget studied 18 methods used by marketers to build an email list. Among the results published in its 2009 Email List Growth Study are these conclusions: The best method for email list growth is onsite registration; ... more

How do you know whether your lead-generation program is working and delivering a good ROI for the company? You may be doing some lead tracking to understand conversion rates and customer profitability, which is great. But the sales team will inevitably let Marketing know that (1) Marketing was just a ... more

To differentiate itself in a crowded consumer-electronics market, Sony Electronics leveraged a bond—James Bond—with sister company Sony Pictures. A Bond-themed interactive game and sweepstakes resulted in 45,000 clickthroughs to product pages—and a 12-15% increase in sales of those products. more

In a post at the DIRECT website, Ken Magill discusses the results of a survey conducted by MailerMailer. Among its more interesting findings: Subject lines containing up to 35 characters significantly outperform those with more than 35. "According to the email marketing software-on-demand provider," says Magill, "messages with subject lines ... more

Once in a while, a digital ad grabs you just like that. And one thing that really boosts its impact is if the person featured in it is—you. Read on:  Last year, to sell tickets to its women's basketball games, Gonzaga University released a video of a coach calling the ONE person whose attendance would ... more

"A subject line … invites others into your email marketing open house," says Josh Nason in an article at MarketingProfs. "If you have something to sell or a message you want to get across, that subject line better be good—or else your prospects might head to a different neighborhood." Nason ... more

Retailers did everything possible to attract buyers over the holidays. From educational sessions to discounts and coupons, and special offers, retailers used their ingenuity and marketing smarts to make the best of a dismal season. Nonetheless, numbers were down and every indicator pointed toward an even gloomier 2009. Perhaps the very ... more

We all know that content is king in search engine optimization, but in a recent Search Engine Land post, Daniel Waisberg reminds us that "usability is queen." According to Waisberg, the synergy between content and usability design can be a powerful generator of website conversion rates. To help search marketers optimize ... more